"I wish I could just die."
Ezren mumbled, his voice barely audible above the rain and the rush of passing cars. His shoulders slumped, weighed down by more than just his worn-out frame. The bench beneath him felt like the only thing holding him together, the cold metal pressing against his battered skin. His face was swollen and bruised, streaked with dried blood. His eyes, dull and ringed with dark circles, stared ahead, unblinking.
"If only someone would help…"
The words felt useless, like they were slipping into the emptiness around him. The streets were silent, empty. No one was there. No one cared. The silence.
That was the worst part.
Flashback: Earlier That Day
He'd worked three part-time jobs just to afford the suit. Nothing special. A second-hand suit. But it was all he had, all he could manage. He was going to use it to ask Emily out, the one person who made him feel like maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't give up.
"Today's the day," he said, staring at himself in the mirror. His fingers trembled slightly as he adjusted the tie, too tight, too stiff. The suit didn't fit quite right, but it was enough.
Enough to take the first step.
His heart thudded in his chest, louder than anything else. He'd rehearsed it in his head a hundred times, every word, every gesture. He couldn't screw this up. He had to get it right.
With a nervous smile, he stepped out the door, a mix of hope and terror twisting in his chest.
When he saw her in class, his breath hitched. Emily turned and smiled, and he opened his mouth to speak. But then, she laughed.
Not the gentle kind, the one that tells you you're funny. No, this was loud, sharp, and cold. It sliced through him.
"Did you really think that would impress me?"
Her voice cut deeper than any blade.
"Are those even your shoes?"
Laughter followed. His hands started to shake. He couldn't even remember why he was standing there anymore. He felt small, shrinking.
"Wow, Ezren. Didn't know thrift shops were having a sale."
The crowd joined in, their words full of sneering pity. It wasn't about the suit. It wasn't about the shoes. It was the way she looked at him like he didn't matter.
That was the sting.
The rejection didn't hurt nearly as much as the way she made him feel invisible.
And that hurt worse than anything.
Now, here he was, soaked to the bone, still wearing that suit that had once made him feel like something other than invisible. Now, it was just soaked and torn, a reminder of everything he wasn't.
"Dang, what a bitch," Ezren muttered, but the words felt hollow. Like they couldn't fill the empty space inside him.
"I should've known," he whispered. "I knew she'd never go out with me. Who would want to?"
His voice cracked, and the tears came—hot, fast, mixing with the rain on his face. He didn't care anymore.
"Someone like me… I don't deserve a happy ending."
A bitter laugh escaped him, but it was empty. What had he expected? He hadn't even managed to make something decent of his life. Why would anyone care about him?
"I wish… I could just restart."
Ezren trudged home, each step heavier than the last. Home—that word didn't feel real anymore. His house, if you could even call it that—was falling apart. The paint was peeling, and the air smelled stale, like something had died inside.
His mom was passed out on the couch, smoke curling around her like it was part of the fabric of the place. The stale air stuck to everything, the smell of cheap cigarettes and broken promises.
His room wasn't any better. The wind howled through the cracks in the window, and the thin sheet on his bed barely offered any warmth. There was no comfort here. No safety. No warmth.
He had gotten used to it.
"Comfort is luxury for people like us," he muttered, his eyes dead.
By the door to his room, he whispered, "I just wish I could disappear."
And then, it happened.
As he stepped inside, something shifted. His foot caught on… nothing. But it was enough to throw him off balance. The world seemed to stretch, everything slowing in the strangest way. The ground beneath him felt like it was moving, like the world itself was shifting.
Then, a clang.
The sound was sharp, ancient, like a bell ringing from a time long forgotten. Before he could even process it, the earth cracked open beneath him. A rift, glowing with shimmering light, appeared, vibrating as if alive.
Before he could react, before he even thought to step back, the ground gave way, and he fell.
Everything he knew, the city, his life, vanished in an instant.
And then, moments later, he was falling again, but this time it was different. The sky above wasn't the familiar gray clouds. Instead, a soft blue sky stretched out before him, glowing gently. Below him, an endless forest spread out, full of towering trees and glowing plants that didn't belong in any world he knew.
His heart was still pounding, but this time, it wasn't just fear. There was something else, a tiny thread of hope, fragile but real. Maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something new.